Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a print control apparatus that controls printing for bookbinding using a signature, a method for controlling the print control apparatus, and a storage medium.
Description of the Related Art
On-demand printing is prevalent at production sites according to the improvement of the printing technique due to the digitalization of image forming apparatuses and methods for accepting an order. In recent years, the digital printing of on-demand printing has also been pursuing manufacturing efficiency and a reduction in waste paper by imposing a plurality of pages on a single piece of paper (hereinafter referred to as multi-imposition). When the multi-imposition is used during a manufacturing process, the paper with the pages printed thereon is set on a folding apparatus and is folded into a signature, and the fold is cut lastly, which creates a product constituted by the pages.
Further, some kinds of the recent on-demand printing handle case binding as a product, and the case binding is characterized in that a creation method thereof is different depending on a binding direction.
Generally, bottom folding is often used for a signature intended for bookbinding of right binding, as a common practice. By making an arrangement so as to create a signature of left binding by top folding and create the signature of the right binding by the bottom folding, the signature can be created with a setting of the folding apparatus remaining the same regardless of the left binding or the right binding.
In recent years, there has been prepress apparatuses using a template included in functions of prepress software as a technique regarding the imposition. The prepress software stores a pagination template in which the binding direction and the folding direction of a book are associated with each other in advance, thereby allowing a user to carry out the imposition without making a mistake (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-70449).
However, the above-described conventional technique facilitates the imposition of the signature but leaves the necessity of setting a front cover in a matching orientation when setting the signature on the bookbinding apparatus. For example, when the signature of a book body is set on the bookbinding apparatus, the folding direction, a corner of which is supposed to be tough, should be placed into abutment with a holder at the bookbinding apparatus.
Therefore, if the fold of the signature intended for the left-binding bookbinding that is created as the top folding is set in a rightward orientation when facing the bookbinding apparatus, a top of the front cover should be set in the rightward orientation (refer to FIG. 7, which will be described below).
On the other hand, when the fold of the signature intended for the right-binding bookbinding that is created as the bottom folding is set in the rightward orientation when facing the bookbinding apparatus in a similar manner, the top of the front cover should be set in the leftward orientation (refer to FIG. 8A, which will be described below).
Therefore, in such a case that there are both the left-binding bookbinding and the right-binding bookbinding in a mixed manner, the top of the printed front cover should be set in the rightward orientation or the leftward orientation according to the binding direction of the book, which leads to an extremely complicated process. For example, in such a case that the left-binding bookbinding and the right-binding bookbinding are carried out alternately, the top of the printed front cover should be set alternately set in the rightward orientation and in the leftward orientation.
In this manner, an operator should engage in a task of determining the binding direction and switching the orientation of the front cover with respect to the front cover placed on a paper discharge portion of a printer based on a picture thereon and/or management information indicating the orientation regarding the binding direction, and this task involves a problem such as being inefficient for the operator and also having a possibility of becoming a factor to cause a mistake.